Re: On the Grammar of Music (Martin Braun )

Odd Torleiv Furnes wrote:
"Surely there are rules governing the types of chords and types of chord
progressions to be found within a certain style."
Reply:
There are no such rules. If there were, we could buy books which list the
chord-progression rules, ordered by all styles that ever appeared in
European music history. Such books, however, do not exist and will never =
be
possible.
You never find rule consistency in European music, not within one histori=
cal
period, not within one composer, and often not even within one piece of
music.
There may be one general rule, however, one that existed at all times. Th=
is
rule appears to say: "Whenever you suspect that a musical habit might
develop into a rule, break that habit - to keep your audience awake."
THAT's how our nerves work.
Martin
Martin Braun
Neuroscience of Music
Gansbyn 14
S-671 95 Kl=E4ssbol
Sweden
nombraun(at)post.netlink.se
----- Original Message -----
From: O.T.Furnes <oddtf(at)imt.uio.no>
To: <AUDITORY(at)LISTS.MCGILL.CA>
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2001 2:35 PM
Subject: Re: On the Grammar of Music